Behind The Scenes
by Darling Pretty
Summary: The cameras are off, the cast has gone home, but that doesn't mean that the characters just stop living. Addison/Alex, and then I don't really know yet... I'm emotionally ambivalent on the subject.
1. A Prologue of Epic Proportions

**And so another story begins. Yikes. My imagination is way to overactive for my own good. This is short, I know, but it's only the prologue, I kind of just wanted to get a feel for how this is going to be received, because it's going to be a little different than my other stories. For one, I'm actually going to try to give other people an actual story. Big step for me right there. Also, I don't know if it's noticeable, but I tweaked my writing voice just a tad to reflect Terry Pratchett because he's my hero and I wish I could write like that. It's more prominent in the next chapter.**

**But anyways, go read the shortness, and hopefully you have time to tell me what you think.**

**I own the idea. If I owned Grey's Anatomy there would be no need for me to have such an idea.**

* * *

It's quiet on the set of _Grey's Anatomy_. The cast and crew have all gone home and everything is locked up.

It's quiet of the set of _Private Practice _for similar reasons.

Incidentally, it's also quiet on the set of _Bones _and _House _for identical reasons, but no one gives any thought to this because they are on a completely different network.

The casts and crews have gone home and the cameras have stopped rolling. That doesn't mean the characters have stopped being.

It's one of the secrets of good storytelling. It's one of the secrets of good television too. You have to believe, or at least _someone _has to believe, in what you're telling. In stories, this belief gets you listeners. In television it gets you ratings.

The trouble with all this believing is that eventually the story will have no choice but to be real. Maybe only to a forty year old man still living in his mother's basement, but it will be real. And if it's real, then it must exist. That's just common sense. Maybe it doesn't exist so anybody notices it, but it will exist. There is a universe in our great multiverse dedicated to what can never exist in our own.

Only a few people know this though. It's one of those things that is simply Not Talked About. It confuses people so it's kept quiet.

Well, that's just too bad, because I'm talking.

* * *

**So press the little button right below here, if only to tell me that you think my writing sucks and you have no idea what's going on.**

**-Juli-**


	2. Walking and Talking at the Same Time

**This was originally going to be longer, but I just was informed that I'm being kicked out of the locker I've been assigned to for the past three years, and am going to have to memorize not one, but TWO new combos (one for the temporary locker I'm being relegated to and one for the permanent one I'll get in two to three weeks), so I'm really far too pissed to even think about writing anything vaguely fluffy. So I stopped writing, and honestly the story is probably better and longer for it. I'm sorry if that came off as totally bratty, but I dislike change immensely, especially going into my senior year. It's my last year of being completely comfortable in my surroundings and they're just destroying my sense of tranquility. It's not pleasant and I kind of feel violated.**

** ANYWAYS, how about you stop listening to my stupid teenage locker woes and read the story.**

* * *

Addison walks down her little stretch of beach. They gave her a world where the beach is right outside her door, and she's going to take advantage of that.

"Addison!"

She turns at the sound of her name and frowns in confusion. "Alex? What are you doing here?"

"It's not that far of a walk. It takes like five minutes to walk to Joe's from here. How else could you keep coming back so often?"

He speaks the truth. No one had actually thought about the physical distance between the two cities. Nobody believed in that distance, so it didn't exist in this universe. It does, in fact, take five minutes to walk from Addison's beach in Los Angeles to Joe's bar in Seattle, provided one walks quickly and doesn't stop to smell the roses.

"Okay, true," Addison admits. "But that doesn't answer why you're here."

"No reason," he says. "I just needed a change of scenery. What are you doing here?"

"I live here now, remember?" she reminds him. "Besides, walking helps me think."

"And you're thinking now?"

"I am."

"About what?"

"I don't know," she shrugs. "Just different things, I guess."

They walk in silence for what seems to be an eternity, but actually turns out to be about three minutes. "So you're good?" he asks, filling the dead air with a question that comes out more interested than he had intended.

"Me? I'm good. I'm all good," she replies quickly. "You?"

"I'm good."

Another silence. Both take the time to curse the conversation gods.

Somewhere, a small, oversensitive conversation god weeps.

Nearby, the other conversation gods laugh in the face of the curses they're being sent.

Addison stares out at the water and puts all her efforts into not hearing the deafening silence. It doesn't work.

"Penny for your thoughts?" he asks.

She laughs at the awkward and old conversation starter. "My thoughts are worth at least a dollar," she smiles. "I was just thinking about…"

She hesitates. Things like what she's about to say are one of those things that isn't Talked About. Not in the presence of a man you've slept with, at least. It doesn't matter if you were ordered to do it or not. You've still slept with him and now you don't talk about it.

"You were thinking?" he goads. Not knowing what she's thinking, he has no way of knowing that she's thinking about something Not Talked About, at least in the presence of a man you've slept with, ordered or not.

"I was thinking that… do you ever feel like someone just wants to ruin everything in your life?"

He laughs. "Yeah. Shonda and her writers."

"Well, clearly they don't think I deserve anything resembling a stable relationship. They break up my marriage, they bring Mark in, Pete, and then they bring Kevin in. But then they break us up. The second I get someone who might be good for me, they ruin everything. Even you."

"Even me? You sound surprised by that." Addison may sound surprised, but he sounds offended that he is merely rated an afterthought.

"Well, it's not like I even got to find out if it would have gone anywhere. We kissed, we slept together, and that was it. I always felt like the writers thought about giving us a chance, but then I got my show and they had to end it somehow, so you had to be a total jerk."

"That's what Izzie says," Alex admits.

Addison whips towards him so fast there is an audible crack like a badly placed sound effect (it is common knowledge that a badly placed sound effect has been the downfall of many an otherwise decent film). "You told Izzie about us?"

"I tell Izzie everything," he replies easily. "She's my best friend. And she scares me."

Addison pales. "I thought nobody knew except Mark," she says (only on-screen Addison doesn't know that Mark lied about the 60 days pact). "That is mortifying."

"Chill," he tells her. "It's not like you had a choice. And Izzie on the show has no idea."

"Why is this so confusing?" It's not clear whether she's referring to her love life or to keeping everybody straight.

"Izzie thinks the writers are idiots."

"I think we all do," Addison retorts. "Nobody can ever just be happy here. There always has to be something wrong."

He nods. There is more silence. "I should probably go," she finally says.

"Yeah, me too," he agrees. She smiles and turns to walk away. "Hey, Addison?" he calls after her when she's managed to walk a considerable distance. She turns back to look at him. (This is how this scene must be. It would not satisfy the cliché quotient if he were to just say it to her face.)

"Yeah?"

"You're probably right about the writers' plan." And with that he leaves, because nothing can ever be resolved so simply in this universe. We're all dark and twisty here.

* * *

**And there's chapter two, which I'm hoping gets just a tad bit more support than my short little prologue did... That would be what is known as a hint, by the way.**

**-Juli-**


	3. Ruining Lives Now That's What I Call Fun

**Another short chapter. And it's _really _random. Like pretty unprecedented randomness, or at least in my world. But that's okay. I like randomness. It goes well with cheese and crackers.**

**Um, pretty much I just wanted to put something up before I start my senior year and go insane, and that's tomorrow. So I wrote this little chapter, which involves a lot of yelling. I also managed to reference Jane Austen and _Song of the South_ in the first two paragraphs, which I think is pretty damn impressive, but maybe that's just me.**

**Also, the parentheses? To me, they're like Terry Pratchett's footnotes. This will make sense if you read his books. It will not if you do not read his books. (If you do not read these books, you should run to a bookstore or library very fast. You never know when such literary genius might come in handy. I mean, what if you're mugged by a freaky Terry Pratchett fan, demanding you hand over all your Terry Pratchett or be shot. Nobody wants to take part in the or be shot. Also, you should read them, if only because he and Ellis Grey are in the same boat. The Alzheimer's boat, I mean. Not the being dead boat. That's a sucky boat to be in.)**

**I own nothing. I also apologize to any writers of Grey's Anatomy. I do not apologize to Shonda. You've made too many people miserable for me to apologize to you.**

* * *

It is a universally acknowledged fact that every single neurosurgeon in the country must be in want of an intern to fall in love with. In fact, it seems like the only people _not _aware of this fact are the single neurosurgeons in want of interns to fall in love with. (But don't worry, other people know for them, so they don't have to actually know anything but how to cut open a brain.) Such ignorance has been the downfall of many a neurosurgeon who has had the audacity to go and marry someone their own age. Such sad cases must subsequently walk in on their wife and best friend in bed together and move across the country, so that they may find their intern. For the universe will not be denied its neurosurgeon/intern pairing.

Derek walks across the line from the crystal clear picture of Seattle to the hazy memory of a brownstone in New York. This is, oddly enough, his thinking spot (another universally acknowledged fact—everybody's got a thinking spot, the trouble is most people don't take the time to go looking for it). Today, he is currently thinking about his impending proposal to Meredith on the show. He could just tell her not to take the ring off afterwards. Because Derek Shepherd is a neurosurgeon, but he's already found his intern. And he likes his intern far more off-screen than on. Onscreen she seems a little whiny, but knowing her when she's not being told what to do helps. (Then she only whines about how stupid her current plotline is. which is often a valid complaint.)

Meredith sighs as she realizes that this week's episode is another one where she spends a good part of the hour having a dark and twisty moment. She's sick and tired of dark and twisty moments. (Meredith Grey is actually not a dark and twisty person. People just think she is because she had a pink strip in her hair and wore enough eyeliner to graffiti a gas station as a teenager—providing it was a small gas station. Oh, and the fact that people have said that she is. Oh, and the fact that her mother wasn't around for her child and then was rude enough to go and die before they could make up properly. Miss Manners does _not _approve of such behavior.)

"I'm sick and tired of dark and twisty moments!" she yells at the sky. (The sky does not yell back.)

(Meanwhile, Shonda's writers pen five hundred thousand more dark and twisty moments.)

Coincidentally, at the exact same moment, Addison shouts at the sky, "I'm sick and tired of running through men like tissues!"

(Writers not occupied by coming up with ways to make Meredith even more dark and twisty take the time to come up with nine hundred men for Addison to sleep with and then get crushed by.)

Derek also shouts, except he uses his inside voice and his complaint is directed at the ceiling. (So it's more of a louder conversation, really. Except the ceiling doesn't talk back.) "I'm sick and tired of trying to distinguish the show from reality."

(I think we can all join in with Derek on this complaint, just a little.)

Alex yells at the sky on his way home from LA. "I'm sick and tired of being an asshole to Addison!"

(The writers quickly write a crossover episode where Alex proposes to Addison, then, once she says yes, laughs in her face and goes home to Izzie. *This episode is later scrapped in favor of more sensational plotlines. In other words, Denny—back from the dead.)

Callie yells at the sky too. "I'm sick and tired of messy, unresolved plotlines and people leaving suddenly without any warning!"

(The writers don't need to change anything to keep upsetting Callie.)

Mark yells at his cell phone, which he is currently staring at, hoping for another transcontinental booty call from his favorite redhead. "I'm sick and tired of not getting laid!"

(The writers then write Mark a threesome, because they like Mark. The male writers want to be him, and the females want to sleep with him.)

Izzie yells at the sky. "I'm sick and tired of men ditching me!"

(The writers bring Denny back from the dead to appease her.)

Izzie adds to the sky, "I'm also sick and tired of my crappy storylines!"

(The writers hang their head in shame and then hope she doesn't remember that she had to spend an episode saving a deer.)

"And I haven't forgotten that deer thing either!"

(The writers duck and run for cover.)

Lexie yells at the sky. "I'm sick and tired of all my family members dying!"

(The writers kill off everybody ever remotely related to the Greys on the show, and then invent new family members to kill off.)

George yells at the sky. "I just like yelling! I never get to yell! I want to have a reason to yell!"

(The writers ignore George. They always ignore George.)

Shonda looms over them all and laughs.

* * *

**I told you it was random, did I not. This really had no effect on the plot or anything. It's just what my brain came up with at 11 o'clock at night.**

**I'll write soon. Maybe. Hopefully. I'm emotionally ambivalent on the subject.**

**-Juli-**


	4. Awkward Addie

**Hey, sorry for the delay, but I just started my senior year, and already it's decided to be one of those years that makes me want to tear out my hair. But that's okay. Hakuna Matata. My goal is to post something somewhere at least once a week, but I try not to make promises I can't keep. AP US History and AP Lit may have something to say about that, and I don't really see them being helpful. So I would get used to unfortunate gaps again. Sorry!**

**Other than that... I TOLD you I would bring Bex back somewhere! Oh, and the title is a Kate Rusby song. Except it's "Awkward Annie", not "Awkward Addie". But it was perfect! I couldn't just NOT name the chapter that because of two Ns.**

* * *

"Addison! Addison, wait up!"

Addison turns at the sound of her name. The corners of her mouth turn down when she realizes that she has absolutely no idea who is running towards her. "I'm sorry," she says politely. (Addison Forbes Montgomery is never impolite. Except when introducing herself to her husband's mistress. Then she's a little impolite.) "Do I know you?"

The younger woman takes a second to catch her breath (it hasn't run that far). Then she plasters a smile on her face. "Right. Sorry. You don't know me. Hi, I'm Bex." She holds out her hand to shake. Addison takes it.

"Addison, but you already seem to know that." This is when Addison notices a slight physical anomaly in the other woman. She's visually stunning, rich brown hair and green eyes. All her fingers and toes are in the correct places and she has ten of each. Although on the slightly shorter side of average height, there isn't anything _wrong _there. But the thing is… if you concentrate, you can see right through her. Bex is almost transparent.

Bex notices Addison staring, although, to her credit, it doesn't really look like staring. She looks down. "Oh. Yeah. Um, that's nothing. The way I figure it is that I have a lot less people believing in me than you do, so I'm not nearly as real. But you're not hallucinating, I swear."

"Right," Addison replies skeptically.

"You're not!" Bex exclaims. "I'm new here. I needed to see someone I know. Well, sort of know. I know you, but not _you_ you. I mean, I know you in my story, but not you here. Is your head starting to hurt? Because mine is."

Addison stays quiet. No point in talking back to a hallucination. (You never know when they're just going to up and disappear on you.)

"Are you just going to keep ignoring me until I go away? Because that kind of hurts. I mean, I know you don't know who I am, but a little common courtesy would be nice."

She has to go away eventually, right?

"If I introduce myself, would you at least look at me?"

Maybe she should try pinching herself. Maybe she's dreaming. She does. It hurts and Bex is still standing in front of her, waiting expectantly. (Bex, however, is not good at waiting of any sort.)

"I'm Bex. I'm Alex's best friend."

Addison frowns. "They've never mentioned you on the show," she says.

Bex rolls her eyes. (Fun fact: Bex won the Eye Rolling World Championships of 2006.) "That's because I don't exist on the show. Yet. I think Juli, that's the girl who created and me, and her friend Kate have a plan to kidnap Shonda and prove that I'm an interesting character and _should _be on the show though, if that makes you feel any better."

(Addison does not feel any better.)

Addison asks, "So wait, why aren't there more random people running around here then?"

Bex glares. "Do I look like I created this place? I have no idea. But anyways, I was just heading to get a drink and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me."

"At Joe's?" Addison asks warily.

"I don't know," Bex snaps. "I'm good at LA, not Seattle, but we're currently heading towards Seattle. You play tour guide."

Addison sighs. She can see that the weird see-through girl isn't going to leave her alone. (Addison is still not convinced that Bex is not a figment of her imagination, however.) May as well take her to a bar. At least this way she can get drunk. (Not a good idea. Addison getting drunk is never a good idea. Drunk Addison does and says a lot of stupid and/or embarrassing things. And yet Sober Addison still often gets the urge to go find Drunk Addison anyways.)

She leads the way to Joe's, certain that she's about to run into all the doctors whose shifts all miraculously end at the same time so they can hang out at the bar and not have to go be doctors. She is not disappointed. Derek and Meredith are in a corner. She smiles sadly. It still makes her sad that he's moving on and got this great, epic love and she's stuck with sex and complicated relationships. Plus, there was the whole being married for eleven years thing. But she can't exactly feel betrayed by him because she was created in order to make problems for the couple. Complicated is a very, very good word for this situation, but it leaves something to be desired. (Ice cream, actually. It's a little known fact, but the thing that is left to be desired is ice cream. Chocolate ice cream, to be precise. People always forget the chocolate ice cream.)

"Alex!" Bex calls. He turns and has the same frown as Addison did earlier. (Well, not the _exact _same. That would be weird and would require that he steal her mouth. And that is not the way that he would like to have her mouth on his body, because stealing body parts and placing them on your body is creepy and nearly impossible.)

"Do I know you?" he asks.

Bex does another championship-winning eye roll and explains. "I'm your best friend. But in a different universe, so you don't know that I'm your best friend. But you know in the other universe."

Cristina looks at the new girl on the block. "You're transparent," she states the obvious.

"Yeah. I am. Can we move on? It's not that interesting."

"But _why _are you see-through?" Izzie asks.

Addison senses a long, confusing discussion coming on and slinks off to find herself a drink. (Although she is ecstatic that other people can see the translucent Bex. At least she's not going insane.) Alex follows her lead. "Hey," he says, coming up to sit beside her at the bar.

"Hey," she replies. Suddenly, it hits her—they're sitting in the exact same spots as they did on the show when they kissed for the first time. Awkward. After today's conversation on the beach, definitely awkward.

"Do you believe her?" he asks, nodding towards Bex, who is currently getting very frustrated trying to explain the concept of slight reality to Slightly Drunk Izzie and Very Drunk Cristina.

Addison shrugs. "I don't know. I'll believe just about anything until proven wrong." Subtly, she shifts in her seat, away from him. Proximity is just a bad, bad thing. Proximity makes her do stupid things. Addison dislikes Proximity. (Proximity, on the other hand, likes Addison a lot. Proximity particularly loves Addison in relation to Alex, which Addison, of course, despises. It makes for a very interesting relationship.)

They fall into silence. It's not a very long fall. Then they hear Frustrated Bex yell, "For the last freaking time, I'm only here so I can get Alex and Addison together!"

Awkward.

Alex and Addison look at each other. Alex starts laughing. Addison is too busy being mortified to laugh. She refuses to meet his eyes. He, being the super-perceptive guy that he is, stops laughing. "Hey, you okay?" he asks.

"Um, yeah, er, I mean, um, yeah."

"You're looking sort of pale." (Alex is being nice here. Addison looks like a freaking ghost. Even more than Transparent Bex does.)

"It's just… uh, hot in here."

"Are you embarrassed?" he asks.

"No!" she exclaims quickly. The look he sends her tells her that she knows she's lying. (Although, he's actually trying to convey that he knows she's lying and wishes that she would give him a chance. She, unfortunately, does not pick up on this second part.) "Yes," she revises.

"Why?"

"Um, because your supposed best friend just announced that her sole purpose in life is getting us together?"

"Right," he says. They study the bar. It's very interesting.

Eventually they snap out of their daze. "Addison," he says quietly. He's never said her name like that before. She doesn't like it. (This is true. She doesn't like how he says her name; she absolutely loves it.)

"Um, I… I should go," she stammers. She smiles weakly and touches his hand, trying to convey that today is just not the day for him to be interested. She's not quite ready for him to be interested. Maybe tomorrow.

The contact makes her feel like she's stuck a fork in an outlet. (Bad idea. Don't do it. Frazzled nerves will be the least of your worries.) It also makes her feel like she needs to get as far away from this man as possible in a very small world. With one last glance at Bex, who seems to have gotten more solid during her explanation to Izzie and Cristina, she flees the scene.

She's very good at fleeing the scene.

* * *

**I don't really have much to say, but I usually say something down here. Um, I guess... Until next time, I remain, and always shall remain,**

**-Juli-**

**(who is begging desperately for a review)**


	5. A Secret Love of the Dead

**Eh. I'm not super happy with this chapter, but I'm not unhappy with it either. Why is happy such a weird word? Anybody else notice that? Anyways, I'm sorry if the beginning seems rather random, given that, last we saw, Addison was busy fleeing the scene. Actually, I'm sorry if the entire chapter seems random. This is what people wanted, so this is what I gave them. (By people, I, of course, mean the characters in my head- I've long since stopped questioning my sanity.) And I would just like to point out that it isn't any more random than Chapter Three.**

**On another note, I have a couple of things to say. One- I apologize to Gigi. I neglected to mention that she is going to take over Shondaland with Kate and me. Two, and probably more importantly (not an ounce of offence meant there, Gigi), I should probably mention that even though she rarely reads stories of this kind, because they don't float her boat, I have to credit this entire story to Ocean of Ashes, because she left me a review on my story Cleaning Up that sparked my creativity into action. So yeah. Go you!**

**In other news, I don't even own Bex. She kind of just does her own thing.**

* * *

"Favorite movie?"

"_Singin' In The Rain_. You?"

"I don't watch movies."

"You don't watch movies? Who the hell doesn't watch movies?" Addison asks. She and Alex are currently drinking coffee, which, unfortunately, is only to be had from the hospital. None of this thing called Starbucks for our favorite group of surgeons. They are also talking. (Contrary to popular belief, this is not a date. This is a people-getting-coffee-and-interrogating-each-other-to-get-to-know-each-other-better thing. No dating here. Absolutely none.)

"I don't," he replies.

"You're weird," she informs him seriously. "How can you not watch movies? Everybody watches movies."

"I'm not everybody."

"No, you're certainly not," she replies meditatively. They fall into a silence fraught with tension. (All different sorts of tension, too. Mainly sexual tension, considering the fact that Addison has pretty much wanted to jump him since the last time they slept together.)

"It's your turn to ask a question," Alex finally points out.

"Favorite band?"

"Not a band, but Bob Dylan. You?"

Addison blushes and looks down. "You're going to think I'm lying."

He laughs. "I doubt it. Unless you name some obscure polka band. Then I'll think you're lying."

"The Grateful Dead."

"Seriously?" he asks, trying not to laugh. Prim and Proper Addison, harboring a secret love of the Dead? Pretty hilarious. Not because it doesn't seem like her type of music, but come on, it's the Grateful Dead, who pretty much scream drugs and tie-dye.

"Go ahead, laugh," she says.

"I'm just surprised is all," he explains.

"You can laugh. Everybody does."

"I'm not going to laugh."

"It's really okay."

"Addison, get it through your head. I'm not going to laugh. And I'm not going to argue with you about me not laughing."

_She _laughs. "Okay."

"So you're really a Deadhead," he says incredulously. "You don't seem like it."

"I know," she blushes.

"Favorite song?"

"Oh God, too many to choose from… Ripple, Tennessee Jed, Peggy-O… The Eleven is pure musical genius. I can't choose." She looks down, obviously about to say something that applies to both the topic at hand and her life in general. (This is always preceded by a small pause to let people know it is coming. And her eyes fill with sadness. People's eyes always fill with sadness when they're about to make such pronouncements.) "I've never been good at choosing."

Hey, when the heck did he get so close to her? Because they are definitely sharing air. And then she kisses him, or he kisses her, and she's not exactly sure how that happened. (Let the record show, that although Addison may deny it, she began leaning first. But Alex more than made up for the head start. So it was more of a mutual decision.) Either way, it takes less than ten seconds for the kiss to heat up from somewhere around 76 degrees to 212 degrees.

Except then she remembers that they're in a hospital and there are people staring at them. So she breaks the kiss, stammers a quick "I've got to go," and hightails it back to LA.

0ooo0

Everyone has a soul mate. This is the belief that Addison has always held. It became more difficult after the divorce, but she persists in believing. There's just one little tiny change, and that's in the spelling. That's right; Addison now is a fervent believer in everyone having a sole mate. Everyone has their perfect shoe somewhere out there.

She can't help it. She loves shoes. (Incidentally, shoes and Addison were created at the exact same moment back when the world was dark.) There's a lot about shoes to love. The variety, the endless possibilities. The fact that when she wears them, she's either as tall or taller than most men. (Except for basketball players. Getting heels to make her taller than basketball players seems dangerous. Actually, it's not so much the acquisition of such heels as the attempt to walk in such heels that seems dangerous.)

Addison substitutes shoes for sex. Addison has a lot of shoes. A lot of expensive shoes. (There is a system to her substitution: the intensity with which she's missing sex and the amount she's spending on shoes are directly correlated.) A couple of astronomically priced pairs. She's beginning to contemplate a closet dedicated only to the storage of her shoes.

And yet, here she is, searching for yet another pair to add to her collection. Well, it's not her fault. She's not getting any on the show, and in real life she's failing both at keeping Alex Karev out of her rather dirty mind and and at keeping her fingers away from her mouth any time she thinks about him. So she needs shoes. Exorbitantly priced heels. The more she thinks about it, the more she thinks she's going to need several pairs.

"Those are the most fabulous pair of shoes I have ever seen," Bex announces. Addison starts. Even though Bex is almost completely opaque now, she can still sneak up on people like none other, and she likes to do so at the weirdest moments. (If Addison didn't know it to be impossible, she would suspect Bex of being able to teleport.) Addison follows Bex's outstretched arm to a gorgeous pair of stilettos. "Is it wrong to lust over shoes?" Bex asks Addison.

Addison dreamily shakes her head no. It is most definitely not wrong to lust over a pair of shoes. She's been there several times over.

Bex's eyes flash mischievously. She knows just how to get the redhead out of her reverie. (Bex, it should be noted, is somehow rather omniscient. Omniscient and able to teleport... I'm thinking somebody got dropped into some radioactive chemicals as a child.)"Is it wrong to substitute shoes for the sex you could be having right now?" Bex's estimation is completely correct. Immediately, Addison starts to blush and stammer. Bex watches in amusement. "You do realize that Alex has been lusting after you since, well, ever, right?"

Addison shakes her head. "He's not lusting after me. And even if he were, I'm completely done with lust. Lust gets me into trouble. Lust gets me into supply closets."

Bex sends her a weird look. "So instead of doing something about the fact that you want sex, you're going to buy shoes," she summarizes.

"That is the basic idea, yes."

"Just go sleep with Alex," Bex sighs. (She's become much more jaded since her creation. Like now, she wants to get Alex and Addison together, but, considering they try to thwart her at every turn, she's getting a little frustrated with the two of them. It's made her incredibly blunt. No more beating around the bush for Bex.)

"I'm not going to sleep with Alex!" Addison exclaims. She tries to remember the last time she had such a weird conversation with someone and comes up with nothing.

Bex treats Addison to an eye roll. "You do realize that he's completely in love with you, right? And that it's pretty much inevitable that you're going to end up together? Because I know you're in love with him, so go talk to him."

Addison's eyes widen in a very deer-in-headlights sort of way. "Erm, not true," she stammers.

"Um, so true," Bex replies easily. She heaves a sigh. "But whatever, your man, your deal. I won't say anything else. Except that you're being a total idiot. But other than that, I won't say anything."

Addison looks down at the shoes she holds in her hands. "You really think that…" she trails off, not daring to say that pesky L word.

"I really think that," Bex replies kindly. "I also think that you might want to head on over to Meredith's house and tell him. Because I know he's starting to get upset over the fact that you kissed and dissed him."

"What?" Addison laughs.

"You know, you kissed him, then you dissed him and left? Kissed and dissed?"

"Oh." Addison looks around, searching for any way to leave without seeming too eager.

Bex is not blind or dumb and is not fooled by Addison's supposed nonchalance. "Just go already," she laughs, holding out her hand. Addison drops the shoes in her hands and rushes off.

Bex smiles after her. "Well, how do you like that? Not so much as a kiss my foot or have an apple," she says to herself.

* * *

**And there you have it. I'll try to get that next chapter up soon, but we'll see. Like I've said many a time before, I try not to make promises I can't keep.**

**However, I can promise to be incredibly happy if you leave a review, particularly since this story hasn't exactly been feeling the love. Seriously, guys. You're leaving a poor little story alone in the cold while all its family is warm and feasting! Poor Personified Story. (In case you are completely obtuse, that vaguely translates to click the button below and leave a review for Poor Personified Story.)**

**-Juli-**

**P.S. On another note, I have a new poll up, concerning The Great Escape. If you ever want to see another chapter of that particular story that hasn't been updated in a year, I suggest you go vote.**


	6. Like A Pop Quiz On A Monday Morning

**Hey there, people I have not totally forgotten about (all evidence to the contrary)! So, um, I don't have too much to say here. Mostly that I have decided to focus mainly on Addison and Alex because 1) BEST COUPLE EVER and 2) I apparently suck at writing everybody else. That's not to say that Derek and Meredith won't show up (as well as other people, but I know I promised Derek and Meredith), because they totally will. Next chapter, actually. But you'll have to wait to find that out. **

**O****ther than that, I'm thinking of cutting this story kind of short (probably another 4-5 chapters and maybe an epilogue), just because I don't have time to write a story that nobody's reading and/or enjoying. I'm certainly enjoying writing it, but it's a lot of time and effort to put into something that nobody's appreciating.**

**Anyways, in news that is about the same level of sadness as the previous paragraph, I still own nothing.**

* * *

Addison hurries out of the store and walks towards "Seattle" as fast as she can without looking like a maniac. Silently she curses the fact that her shoe store and Meredith's house are on opposite ends of the (not very big at all) universe.

Then, like a pop quiz on a Monday morning, out of nowhere appears the creator. (By the creator I, of course, mean a certain Ms. Shonda Rhymes.) "Addison, hello!" she says cheerfully. Her words say one thing, her eyes say another. (And her hand motions say yet another, but that's for another story.) And her eyes are definitely not conveying the enthusiasm her words are.

Addison smiles impatiently. "Shonda, hi."

"How are you?" Shonda asks.

"Fine, thank you," ever-polite Addison says. "And you?"

"I'm wonderful."

Addison smiles. "That's good. Not to be rude, but I'm in a little bit of a hurry."

Shonda returns the smile, although hers is much less sincere. (Shonda always knows when something is about to go right in her little kingdom. Don't worry, she always hastens to fix it.) "I actually have someone I'd like you to meet. This is Dr. Wyatt."

Addison nods to the man she's just now noticing. He is good looking, but at the moment there's only one man on her mind, and Shonda would most certainly not approve. (Shonda seems to like Addison miserable and alone.) "It's nice to meet you," she says to him. "I don't want to be rude, but I really have someplace I need to be," she explains. "I'll talk to you both soon?"

Before they can answer, she leaves. No need to stand and make small talk with coworkers when there is sex to be had!

0ooo0

Addison knocks on the door, tapping her foot (a universal sign of impatience… or of a musician trying to keep time). She goes wide-eyed when she sees who opened the door (hint: think blondest character on the show).

"Izzie, hi," Addison says after a (very, very awkward) pause.

"Hi," Izzie replies guardedly. Well, the woman just chose this exact moment to show up on this doorstep when she's never been here before? Who wouldn't be a little weirded out?

"I was just… that is… um…" Addison stammers. She's much less eloquent in real life.

Izzie raises an eyebrow (very trademark Addison style). "Looking for Alex?"

"No! I mean, that is, yes, but…" Addison chooses to study the ground instead of attempting explain the no-but-yes principle. (Good choice since Izzie really doesn't want to hear it.)

"He's in his room. Come on up," Izzie beckons for Addison to follow her. Addison follows.

Izzie leads her to a closed door, and knocks. Then, with a sly look, she quickly walks away. (Secretly, Izzie has been planning this since season three, when she saw the completely undeniable chemistry between the two. She even has a partner in crime, one Ava/Rebecca/Whatever. Ava/Rebecca/Whatever is much, much more likeable when she's not in "Give me a reason to stay!" mode. If fact, she hated the end of season three just as much as we did.)

Addison feels a little apprehensive that she's left standing alone in front of an already knocked on door. Said door swings open to reveal the very man she seeks. "Hi," she says. And that's when she realizes his attire. Or, rather, lack of attire. He has very clearly just gotten out of the shower and is standing in only his boxers. "Uh…" she stumbles as she loses her train of thought. (Why are trains of thought so easy to lose? They're freaking trains! Trains are very large objects and should not be so easy to misplace. Maybe trains of thought are toy trains…)

If he doesn't notice the fact that she can't bring her eyes anywhere above shoulder height, he does a really terrific job of hiding it. That smirk (the one that made him famous—you know the one I'm talking about) slips onto his face and settles there. Because he is Alex Karev and he was not created to be nice, he lets her flounder for words for a couple seconds. Finally, he asks, "Did you want something?"

The noise startles Addison out of her trance. She tears her gaze away from his chest and looks at his face (a difficult endeavor that she deserves commendation for). "I… um. I just…" She trails off and figures that she can't really say what she wants to say and, well, actions speak louder than words anyways, so she kisses him. Impulsively. (This is important to note, because Addison rarely does things that are impulsive.)

She pulls back and he manages to convey that he doesn't exactly understand why she just kissed him. (Aside from the her liking him part of the equation. He got that part pretty well.) She bites her bottom lip. "I want a chance," she says nervously. "A real one."

As Addison is still his teacher, he figures that he should learn something from her, and he's always been quick on the uptake. Instead of attempting any sort of conversation, he just pulls her close and lets his actions speak louder than his words.

0ooo0

Addison looks down as she buttons her shirt for the second time that day. Okay, so maybe the sleeping together thing so soon wasn't the smartest thing in the world. (It ranks somewhere between bungee jumping and swimming with sharks on the smartness scale. And yes, there really is a smartness scale.) But there's one thing you really have to remember, and that's that he is incredibly, insanely hot. (Addison doesn't have to remember this; she is always a hundred and ten percent aware of this fact. Hence the putting out before a proper date thing.)

"Do you want to stay for dinner?" he asks suddenly.

She looks up, a little in shock. "Dinner. At Meredith Grey's house? I'm pretty sure she hates me."

"She doesn't hate you," he replies.

"No, I'm pretty sure she does."

He rolls his eyes. "She doesn't. It's just all in your head. And in Shonda's writing."

Addison rolls her eyes in return. "So, let me get this straight. You want me to eat dinner with a room full of people I'm pretty sure don't even like me before we've even been on a date?"

"If you want to put it like that, yeah. I do."

"Just wanted to clear that up," she says. "And the answer is still no."

"So you'll have sex in her house, but you won't eat with her?"

Addison sighs. "Why is this such a big deal to you?" she asks as she tries to make him forget that last little detail.

"Why are you being so stubborn?" he returns.

"Alex, you're trying to get me to eat with a bunch of people who I barely know, in my ex-husband's girlfriend's house, with my ex-husband's girlfriend and, in all likelihood, my ex-husband. How could this possibly be a good idea?"

His voice takes on a confidential tone. "You're going to have to face them some time. Why not get it out of the way?"

She rolls her eyes again. "You owe me," she sighs as she gives in.

He kisses her and grabs her hand, already pulling her out of the door of his room.

* * *

**So, yes, I did just use an over used plot device, but, come on! Let us all take a moment to appreciate the image of Alex Karev shirtless and understand why I resorted to it. ;)**

**I'm holding the next chapter hostage, by the way. I want 5 reviews by midnight and you'll get it. Got it? Actually, I'm totally flexible on the midnight thing, but the longer it takes, I'm warning you, the longer I have to screw things up. I'm just saying, this could be the best first date ever, or the worst... (Where is a damn evil smiley face when you need one?)**

**-Juli-**


	7. The Single Most Awful Thing

**Okay, so I have really, really been failing the update a week promise I made to myself, and I'm really sorry for that. It's just that once I got back from retreat, I really didn't need the escape writing gives me, and then college apps started, and now I don't have TIME for the escape writing gives me. So I'm really sorry, and I'm sorry that this is so NOT up to par, but I just wanted to put something up to prove to everyone that I am, in fact, still breathing and writing.**

**I own absolutely nothing.**

* * *

There is a very awkward pause when Addison walks into the kitchen with Alex. Meredith looks like she expects another And You Must Be The Woman Who's Been Screwing My Husband moment (which is seriously unfair, since it's not like Addison had any sort of hand in the creation of her entrance). Derek looks just a little stricken, like he's seen the ghost of someone he used to taunt in junior high (I believe the name was Sean Dupree).

Izzie, however, just smiles (well, she has had more time to accustom herself to the idea of Addison hanging around the house). "Hey. Are you staying for dinner?"

Addison, for some strange reason, is shocked that this particular question would be directed at her. (The look on her face is very deer-in-headlights with just a hint of the realization that you have a huge test in an hour and you haven't even read the book.) "I, um, well… yes."

Izzie just smiles serenely and tells Meredith to set another place at the table (the house may be Meredith's, but the kitchen and dining room are almost 110 percent Izzie's).

The first minutes of dinner are tense, to say the very least. Derek and Meredith can't figure out why the hell his ex-wife is sitting across the table from them (well, they _know _why, because they're not total idiots, but he can't figure out what Addison sees in Alex, and Meredith is seriously struggling to see what Alex sees in Addison—she and Addison are fine, but to say they're friends would be to tell a giant lie). Alex, of course, is pretty much oblivious since there is a plate of food in front of him and, well, he's hungry.

Addison makes a polite comment about Izzie's food. Izzie voices her thanks. The room is filled with the sounds of cutlery hitting plate and people breathing. It's so quiet a pin dropping would be the equivalent of an airplane crashing through the roof.

It's uncomfortable, to say the least. It's so awkward even Alex manages to look up from his plate and notice. He smiles reassuringly at Addison. She grimaces back.

The second Izzie signals it's okay for people to leave the table (face it, she's in charge when she wants to be), Meredith and Derek are up and out of the room. Addison offers quietly to help with the dishes.

"The food was really good, Izzie," Addison says.

"Thanks. I think that's the seventh time you said so," Izzie replies with a smile.

"It's true," Addison responds. She's not really sure what else to say, so she's using the old Broken Record Trick.

"So you and Alex," Izzie says. Not the subtlest of segues, but effective.

Addison's eyes get so wide you could probably eat dinner off of them (although that would be absolutely disgusting). She knows that everybody in this house obviously knows that they're together, but she's not quite ready to face that. "I… uh." Brilliant conversation skills.

Izzie smiles as Addison stammers. "He likes you."

Addison smiles back as the atmosphere gets less awkward. She gives the floor a shy smile as she says, "I like him too."

And then, all of a sudden, Izzie is hugging Addison and Addison is very startled. "Sorry," Izzie apologizes. "I'm just happy for you guys."

Addison grins. "Thank you." And then she starts thinking (Addison's brain does a lot of thinking. It's quite annoying, to tell the truth). "Wait, you're okay with this?"

Izzie returns to loading the dishwasher. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"It just… it always seemed like you and Alex… had a thing."

Izzie notices the nervousness in Addison's voice (it isn't well hidden) and smiles. "We're really good friends. We always have been and always will be. Unfortunately the writers think otherwise."

Addison blushes. Izzie has managed to read her mind (perhaps she got a dose of radioactivity with Bex?). "Oh."

"He really likes you," Izzie repeats. "And I'm glad."

Addison ducks her head to hide her grin.

0ooo0

"See, that wasn't too bad," Alex says.

Addison very nearly guffaws. "Alex, that was the single most horrible thing I've ever been through in my life!" This is probably Addison being melodramatic, but she does say it with conviction.

"Addison," Alex attempts to start to try to fix things.

"No, Alex. You don't get it. That was humiliating. I felt like everybody was staring at me, wondering what I could possibly be doing with you. Meredith looked like I wasn't possibly good enough and Derek looked like I was the scum of the earth. The only person in that house who talked to me at all was Izzie. Why the hell would you put me through something like that?"

"You needed it," Alex says confidently. (Alex is a very confident person.)

Addison rolls her eyes. "I'll be the judge of what I need, thanks."

"Look, it's over now."

"Worst first date ever. You're not off to a great start as a boyfriend," she pouts (which happens to be very effective in getting her what she wants).

Instead of responding to such accusations, Alex kisses her and does an absolutely stunning job of leaving her breathless and reminding her why she fell for him in the first place.

Instead of immediately just folding and leading him back up to his bedroom (like she really, really wants to), she chooses to raise an eyebrow and walk out the front door, attempting to stay angry.

He follows her, but lets her keep walking. "Addison," he calls. She turns back. "That wasn't our first date." And then he goes back inside, leaving her to walk home and wonder what he meant by that.

0ooo0

When she gets home, she finds Bex waiting impatiently. "So?" Bex asks without a greeting. Addison gives her a very Wouldn't You Like To Know look. "Well?"

Addison shakes her head and smiles. "I stayed for dinner. It was awful."

"What? Why?"

"Meredith, Derek, and Izzie were there. I felt like an animal in a zoo."

Bex sighs in frustration (something she's very apt to do). "But I don't care about them! I care about you and Alex. Are you together or not?"

"It's complicated…"

"Yes or no answer, Addison."

Addison hesitates, not quite sure exactly how to answer. Then finally she quits biting her lip and answers, "Yes."

Bex's squeal would have deafened anyone not accustomed to it.

* * *

**Well, there you have it. Don't hate me for the awful writing. I'm tired and getting sick and I've spent three weeks staying late after school to get our school paper out on top of homework and college apps, so I deserve a break on the quality control. You may, however, attack me for the length of my absense or the actual story. (Why yes, I did just set parameters on what you can review. How kind of you to notice! Your noticing has been duly noted.)**

**Always,  
-Juli-**


	8. The Master of Cruel Anticipation

**Urgh, I'm sorry this has taken me so long! I just totally lost the creative drive for it for a while there. But I got this turned out, and hopefully I can see it through to the end.**

**I own nothing.**

* * *

Making people wait isn't fair. Whether you're running late or just busy, it's not kind to make people wait for you.

Taunting people with mysterious statements and then making them wait to find out what they mean is just downright cruel.

Addison is frustrated to find that she has chosen to date (actually non-date, because they haven't actually been on a date) the master of cruel anticipation.

It's been several days since their non-date. He's stayed at her place every night since then. (Well, after all, she doesn't live with both their exes.) But even though he's practically living at her house, and the sex remains mind-blowingly amazing, he has yet to take her out on a proper date. (She doesn't know that he's actually scrambling to find _anything _that will live up to his promises.)

Well, Addison has never been one for waiting around and wondering. So when, for the fourth time this week, he shows up at her place and attempts to get her into bed, she pushes him away and leaves room for the Holy Spirit. "What?" he asks, absolutely lost as to why his previously insatiable girlfriend is suddenly not interested in sex.

"No date, no sex. I'm going _crazy _trying to figure out what you're going to do, and you're not doing it. So now I'm making the rules. And I say no date, no sex," she announces confidently. (As confident as she sounds, her stomach is tying itself into knots that would make a Boy Scout proud. Not because she's afraid the move will alienate him, but because she really hopes said date is very, very soon so she'll be able to follow through with this threat.)

His face freezes some place between amused and terrified when she announces this. (He's frantically wracking his brain for anything that will get him out of this situation.) But he's always had a great recovery time, and so he replies, "Okay," with a smirk.

Her mouth drops open. She hadn't expected _that _response. "D-do you know when this date will occur?" she stammers.

"Nope," he says self-assuredly. "Probably the next couple of days, but no promises."

She stares at him. He leans in and kisses her (because that's just the kind of thing he does). She tries to deepen the kiss, but he pulls back. "No date, no sex," he grins.

She groans and wishes she had never said anything. Nervously, she asks, "Would you like something to eat?" She's not exactly sure how this is going to work. They've done the talking thing before, obviously, but since they started dating (non-dating), they've been busy working on their respective shows (if Addison had a more suspicious nature, she would start to wonder just how much Shonda knows about her and Alex) and so when he comes over, their exchanges are more of the physical variety.

"Let's get pizza," he suggests.

She raises an eyebrow, wondering why he's willing to go along with this. "Pizza?"

"Yeah, you know, cheese, tomato sauce, toppings all thrown on top of a crust and shoved in the oven to cook?"

"I _know_ what pizza is," she says. "You're really okay with this?"

"Okay with what?" he asks. (He knows exactly what she's talking about, but he enjoys seeing her flustered. It doesn't happen too often, so he has to milk these moments when he gets them.)

"With the no sex thing," she replies. "You're okay with me using that to my advantage?" She doesn't believe that he actually is.

He looks at her. "No," he answers. "Not at all and if you ever do it again, we're going to have issues, but right now, I'm hungry and I want pizza, so hurry up."

"Okay then," she says, trying to keep her surprise out of her voice. She goes upstairs and in runs to her room in a panic. Just as she enters the room, Bex comes out from the guest room. She frowns as she sees her friend/roommate enter the room solo.

"Hey, you okay?" she asks, nudging the door open with her foot. She's ready to find that Addison is lying on the bed devastated for some unknown reason. (In fact, she's already got several possible ways of fixing Addison and Alex back up starting to form in her head.) So when she opens the door to find Addison frantically pulling what is probably thousands of dollars worth of clothing out of her closet and carelessly abandoning them on the floor as if they were simple rags, Bex couldn't be more perplexed.

"Alex is taking me out," Addison explains without taking her eyes from her frenetic search. "On an actual date. We're going out for pizza. What do you wear to get pizza? What does a pizza date even mean?"

"It means you're hungry and want fake Italian food?" Bex guesses sarcastically. She eyes a white cashmere sweater that Addison has crumpled and discarded. (And seriously grumbles to herself that the woman has the luxury of crumpling up and discarding white cashmere sweaters that probably cost more than Bex's wardrobe put together. Including the actual wardrobe the clothes are stored in.)

Addison stops just long enough to glare at her. She really hates it when people give her sass. (And yes, she really does think the word sass.) "I've got maybe five minutes to pull together an outfit and you're standing there cracking jokes about pizza not being invented in Italy!"

"Technically," Bex points out. "I think pizza was created. Not invented."

Addison practically screams in frustration. "It doesn't matter if it was created, or invented, or _conceived _for God's sake! It matters that I need something to wear on a date that I forced out of him and I'm not even freaking ready to go on a date!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down," Bex commands, holding up her hands. Then she holds up the sweater she's been obsessing over since she walked into the room. "First of all, this sweater is about to drive me into sin by making me steal it."

"Take it," Addison grants with a half-hearted gesture of her hand.

"Seriously?" (Bex once again goes into a mental rant about Addison's ability to just throw clothes away.)

"Yeah, sure."

"Okay, now, what's this about not being ready for a date? I would just like to remind you that you're basically in love with Alex and so a date shouldn't be difficult."

"I'm not in love with him," she chokes out.

Bex rewards Addison with another one of her award-winning eye rolls. "Right, right, sure. Anyways, moving on, why aren't you ready for a date?"

Addison flings herself onto the bed (or it would have been flinging if the motion hadn't been so graceful). "We've never been on a date before. Ever."

"Yeah. So?"

Addison lifts her head just enough to glower at her. "So it's new and different, and I don't know what to do!" she admits. "I've been on dates, but I just… this is different. _He's _different."

"And you wonder _why _I keep saying you're in love with him? Really?" Addison continues to glare at Bex. Bex smiles, a soft smile this time, not the teasing grin that has been resting on her face for this entire conversation. "Relax, Addison," she comforts. "If you're this nervous, think about how nervous he must be!"

"What?"

"Addison, that man has been, and I'm not saying in love because I know you hate when I do, but he's been absolutely head-over-heels smitten with you for as long as I've known you. And yes, I did just say smitten."

"Oh."

Bex sits down next to her. "Look, here's what's going to happen. You're going to put on a pair of jeans and this shirt." She holds up the shirt the demonstrative pronoun applies to. "It'll bring out your eyes, and it's casual. You'll stick a pair of killer heels on your feet, and you're going to go downstairs. Then you're going to go to the pizza place with Alex. You're going to get some fabulous pizza, you're going to bring some home to me, and you're going to have a good time. Trust me. You guys won't run out of things to talk about."

Addison runs a hand through her hair. "I can do this."

"You can. Now, hurry up!"

0ooo0

"You can't be serious!" Addison giggles. It seems like her abs are about to just absolutely die, she's been laughing so hard, so often.

"I wish I wasn't," Alex replies.

"I didn't know about _that _plotline! So you basically gave syph to George? I would be disgusted if it wasn't so hilarious."

"I'm glad my manwhoring ways are amusing to you," he laughs.

"They're only amusing because they're fictional," she retorts. Then, suddenly unsure of herself, she adds, "They _are _only fiction, aren't they?"

He stares at her for a second. She starts to laugh again. "Wow that made me come off as completely needy. I'm sorry about that. Don't feel like you have to answer that."

He pulls her closer (they've been sitting next to each other this entire time), and kisses her. "They aren't only fictional," he admits when they pull back. She starts to pull away when he says that, but he hastens to fix it. "They're not fiction, but they're over. And that's the truth."

She looks up and smiles. She'll believe him now. She doesn't have any reason to disbelieve him. "I'll make you a deal," she says. "A bet really."

He's intrigued. "What's that?"

"I'll play you pinball. If I win, you have to tell me your plans for this extraordinary first date you promised me."

"And if _I _win?"

She bites her bottom lip mischievously. "I'll forget about the rule I put in place tonight and do everything I _want _to do. Otherwise, you're seeing the cold end of my bed and self-control."

"Deal."

0ooo0

She laughs triumphantly as he scowls. "Okay, maybe I should have told you that I'm ridiculously good at pinball."

"You think? I never would have taken that bet if I knew you were a nationally ranked pinball nerd!"

"First of all, I'm not nationally ranked. Secondly, I don't appreciate being called a nerd. And thirdly, you _did _take the bet, so fess up. What do you have planned?"

"You really want to know?"

"Yes, I really want to know."

"Alright, I'll really tell you."

"Okay then, what is it?"

"I don't know."

"What?"

"I don't have any idea. I keep coming up with ideas, but none seem good enough. Not for you. So I really don't know."

For some reason, that statement in this loud pizza parlor is infinitely more desirable than the most romantic of first dates (violins included). Impulsively, she leans in and kisses him. "Let's go home," she says against his lips.

"What about your rule?" he asks.

She grins. "I seemed to have developed a case of selective amnesia. I'd take advantage of it, if I were you."

**Hope you enjoyed it! :)**

**-Juli-**


	9. Can't You See I'm Sleeping?

**Okay, I know this is going fast, but honestly, I'm running out of creative ideas and time and I just want this story to be done. Not because I don't like it, because I love it, but because I'm just... not feeling it anymore, you know? Plus, I have a really good idea for the next chapter that I've been DYING to write, so that may have influenced me too.**

**I own nothing.**

* * *

Ever since she began sleeping with Alex two months ago, she's actually enjoyed waking up in the morning. Well, then again, being woken up by an incredibly hot, naked man kissing your shoulders _would _be an incredibly positive way to start your day. (Even better than Sleeping Beauty's romantic kiss, if you ask her.)

She shies away from his lips. "Go away," she mumbles. "Can't you see I'm sleeping?"

"We have work this morning, Adds," he says.

"I don't wanna," she whines, keeping her eyes firmly closed.

"You think I do?" he asks.

"Oh, what do you care?" she jokes, finally opening her eyes. "You get to go roll around with Izzie Stevens all day."

"Okay, first of all," he says, kissing her, "there's only one person I want to be rolling around with all day, and that would be you."

"I would have to agree with that," she grins.

"Secondly, Izzie left me on the show, so there will be no rolling around with Izzie involved."

She lifts herself up on her elbows. "I didn't know that," she says. "So what's Izzie doing while we're all working our asses off?"

"I don't know. Relaxing?"

"Lucky bitch." She stretches lazily. "Okay, I'm getting up now."

He wraps his arm around her waist and becomes seriously convincing. "_Alex_," she complains. "You woke me up, remember. If we were going to stay in bed all day, you should have let me sleep in. Now I'm awake and have to work and you're not helping!" (Sometimes she really hates that she's so professional. So does Alex.) She pushes the covers back and climbs out of bed (with great difficulty; he's not exactly thrilled to give up his grip on her waist). She smiles as she feels his gaze follow her. She thinks about how she wants to feel that gaze on her for the rest of her life.

0ooo0

At the end of the day, all Addison wants to do is go home. Go home to her absolutely amazing boyfriend and take a long bubble bath (quite possibly with said absolutely amazing boyfriend). So when Shonda approaches her with the next couple episodes, she's not exactly thrilled. Actually, thrilled is the exact opposite of what she's feeling. (What she's feeling more than likely includes more than one expletive.)

"Addison, would you take a look at this before you go?" she asks.

With a yawn, Addison agrees. She skims over it and signals her okay. And then she notices something that really should be bolded. And underlined. And outlined in flashing neon lights. "Um, you… you want me to sleep with Mark?" she stammers.

"Is that a problem?"

"No," she responds. (She's a little afraid to say yes. Nobody has mentioned that she and Alex are dating.) "No problem. No problem whatsoever."

"Good."

Addison bites her lip. "I'm sorry, Shonda. I'm exhausted."

"I'll see you on Monday, Addison."

0ooo0

Addison plops down on the couch next to Alex. "Shonda wants me to sleep with Mark."

"Yeah, so?" he asks casually. (In reality, he's doing everything he can to keep the jealousy out of his voice.)

"So… I don't want to."

"Is that supposed to make me mad in some way?"

"No. But ever since I started sleeping with you, I don't want to sleep with anybody else, fake or otherwise!"

"Is _that _supposed to make me mad in some way?"

"No. But how the hell am I supposed to do my job when all I'm thinking about is coming home to you?"

"Okay, if you're trying to make me mad, you're really sucking at it."

"What are we doing?" she asks suddenly.

"What?" he laughs.

"I'm serious, Alex. What are we doing? It doesn't make sense."

"What are you talking about, Addison?"

"So I can't go on screen and pretend to be in love with someone else!"

There's silence as they both realize what she just said. A sly grin spreads over his face. "Addison Montgomery, are you in love with me?"

"What? No, please. It hasn't been three months. Please." He just waits expectantly. She drops her gaze to the floor and whispers, "Maybe. Yes. Do you hate me for that?"

"No. Actually…" He takes a deep breath. "I love you more because of it."

She freezes. "You love me?"

"That's what I just said, isn't it?"

"Oh my God. You do? _Why_?"

"I'm not going to sit here and list off the reasons I love you, Addison. It would take all day."

She grins, leans in and kisses him. "I love you. I love you. I love you." She punctuates each sentence with another kiss. "And now," she says breathily, "I'm going to take you upstairs and show you."

0ooo0

Ever since Addison began sleeping with Alex, the man who loves her, several months ago, she has _really, really _enjoyed waking up in the morning. Well, then again, being woken up by an incredibly hot, naked man kissing your shoulders and bringing you breakfast is an incredibly positive way to start your day.

"Go away," she smiles, shying away from his kisses. "Can't you see I'm sleeping?"

"Fine, I'll just eat this delicious breakfast all by myself then. And drink your latte."

She sits up in bed immediately. (No one gets between Addison and a latte.) She grins when she sees him holding out a plate and paper coffee cup. (So he ran out to get her a coffee? It remains an incredibly sweet gesture.) She plucks both out of his hands. "Breakfast in bed, huh? I knew there was a reason I kept you around."

Then she feels something taped to the bottom of the plate. Frowning, she peels off the tape and nearly screams when she opens her palm to find a ring. A diamond ring, to be exact. "W-what is this?" she stammers, looking up to find him grinning at her.

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**Honestly, I didn't mean for this all to go so fast, but apparently six months wanted to be written into one chapter. I hate it when my fingers do that.**

**-Juli-**


	10. The Not So Magical Land of Insecurity

**Hi! I hope you like this. I've had it written for awhile now, but I've been busy and tired and just had all kinds of excuses. Anyways, read on!**

**I own absolutely nothing.**

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_Then she feels something taped to the bottom of the plate. Frowning, she peels off the tape and nearly screams when she opens her palm to find a ring. A diamond ring, to be exact. "W-what is this?" she stammers, looking up to find him grinning at her._

That's a ring," he answers with a smug grin.

"Yeah, I can see _that_, thanks," she retorts.

"So?" he says nervously when she doesn't add anything onto her statement.

"So what?"

"So do you have anything to _say_?"

"Well, I'm still waiting to hear a proper question, so I would say no, I really don't."

"You're a pain in the ass, you know that?" he asks.

"You're really screwing up this proposal thing, you know that?" she grins. Then it drops right off her face. "This _is _a proposal, isn't it? I mean, you're not one of those people who would buy a ring and then give it, but not propose, right?"

"Are there people who would do that?"

"You'd be surprised," she says seriously.

"Well, I'm not one of them. Do you have an answer?"

"Still waiting on that question."

"You're really going to make me say it, aren't you?"

"I'm really going to make you say it," she confirms. She's trying to keep her face straight, but this is one of those moments that define "epic fail".

He rolls his eyes, but grabs the ring from her anyways. "Addison, will you marry me?"

A giddy giggle escapes her lips as she hears the words she's just spent five minutes prying out of him. And then, quite unexpectedly, she tears up as she exclaims, "Yes! Of course! Yes!"

0ooo0

It takes her approximately eight hours for her to start freaking out (and it's only the fact that she spent about half of those blissfully devoid of thoughts beyond being Mrs. Alex Karev that keeps her from freaking out sooner).

She props herself up on her elbows. "What are we doing?" she asks out of the blue.

He laughs and pulls her closer. "Nothing. That's the point of a day off."

"That's not what I was talking about," she says, wishing more than anything that she could just surrender to the happiness that has engulfed them for the past eight hours.

"Yeah," he groans. (By now, Alex has become completely accustomed to Addison sudden jaunts off into the rather not magical Land of Insecurity, of which, at times, she is nobility.) "I figured as much."

"How is this supposed to work, Alex? I mean, seriously, who are we fooling? We weren't made to end up together. Not like Meredith and Derek. Or… or… you and Izzie." (Please don't hate me for that last comment. I didn't say it, Addison did. Blame her, not me.)

"I don't give a damn about Meredith and Derek, Addison. And I really don't give a damn about Izzie. I don't care what people have to say about it. I love _you_. I want to marry you. And if they don't like it, they can just shove it. Because I'm not about to spend the rest of my life with Izzie because _they _said so."

Addison twirls the ring that already feels like she was born with it on (which she wasn't). "You're sure? I mean, really, really sure?"

"This trip to the Land of Insecurity has been great, but let's get back to reality, okay? You're the only person I want to spend the rest of my life with, got it?"

She leans in for a kiss, "Got it."

0ooo0

By the time Sunday rolls around, Addison has become accustomed to the new weight on her finger. In fact, if she takes it off, she can still feel it, like a phantom limb. (A ghost ring to go nicely with ghost girl Bex.)

Bex has made herself scarce for this weekend. She had a feeling (remember, she's practically psychic?) that something big was going to go down and spent the weekend with Cristina. She's actually (dare I say it?) endeared herself to Cristina through extremely blunt and incredibly sarcastic remarks. The two are becoming fast friends (although, of course, Meredith is still Cristina's person).

"Hello?" she calls, as she enters the house. "Anybody home?"

"Bex?" Addison calls back, poking her head out from the bathroom. "You're home."

"You sound surprised." Bex raises her eyebrow (trademark Addison style) and then groans when she notices the trail of clothing (and not just Addison's clothing) leading to the bathroom. "Seriously? I was hoping to avoid the engagement sex. I thought two days would be enough. God. Does the term "bunny rabbits" mean anything to you?"

Addison blushes and grins sheepishly. And then Bex's words make their way into their brain. "Wait, you knew Alex was going to propose?" she asks, stepping out of the bathroom clad in a towel, which Bex gives profuse thanks for. (Just because she's interested in the woman's sex life does _not _mean that she needs to see her naked.)

Bex smiles. "He's been asking me advice for, like, weeks now. If it wasn't adorable, I'd be absolutely sick of him."

"Shut up, Bex!" Alex yells from the bathroom.

"You shut up, Alex! I'm talking to your fiancée!" she yells back, then returns her attention to Addison. "He really wanted to get it right. So how'd he ask? I want to see if he listened to me."

Addison explains the proposal, trying not to notice the twinge of disappointment that she feels. (Somehow, the fact that Bex was involved makes it just a hint less… special.)

Bex sighs as she listens, and then she grins at the end. "That S.O.B didn't listen to one word I said!" she laughs. "He just spent weeks bugging the hell out of me for nothing!" (And that twinge of disappointment? Dead and buried.)

"Not for nothing," Alex responds as he enters the room, fully dressed now. (Disappointing for Addison… And me.) "I knew that anything _you _suggested was going to be way over the top."

"So you used me as a what-not-to-do guide? I feel so… used!" Then she claps and beams. "I'm just so excited!"

Addison laces her fingers through Alex's, admiring how the ring goes ever so nicely with their fingers. "Me too," she admits. "Me too."

0ooo0

Addison takes a deep breath as she heads onto the set the next day. Her ring is sitting squarely on her finger, and she doesn't intend on moving it any time soon. It takes Violet all of five seconds to notice and start to salivate over the details. The rest of the cast soon follows. Nobody is too surprised, since they've all known that she's dating _someone_ who wasn't on set. Although, truth be told, the Alex thing seriously surprises them, if only because nobody saw _that _one coming. (It kind of flew out of _way _left field—so left field, it was probably a foul ball.)

It's just a day to read through everything and get a handle on the things, which is a good thing. Shonda rolls in a couple of minutes late, after the crowd around Addison's ring finger has dispersed. "What is this?" she asks, picking up Addison's hand and studying the piece of jewelry.

A slight moment of hesitation, then Addison lifts her chin confidently. "That would be an engagement ring."

"You're engaged? I didn't even know you were dating! Good for you, Addison. Who is it?"

Addison bites her lip nervously, preparing herself for the explosion. "Alex Karev."

There's a moment of dead silence. (Everyone can actually hear the fly flying around the room. It's rather incredibly annoying.) "Alex Karev?"

"Yes."

"B-but… but Izzie."

Addison frowns. "Izzie has nothing to do with anything," she retorts. "He proposed to _me_." She winces when she realizes just how jealous and possessive she sounds.

"He was written for Izzie."

Addison shrugs with a smile. "And I was written to be an annoyance to Meredith and Derek. Now I have my own show. Things change, Shonda. I love him, he loves me, and there's not really much you can do about it, because I'm going home to him at the end of the day and you don't have control over _that_."

Shonda grimaces. (She wasn't expecting Addison to be so… obstinate. Or in love with Alex Karev.) "Well, at least take the ring off for work."

Addison gives another polite (and ridiculously stubborn) smile. "No. I'm sorry, but no."

"What?"

"I'm not taking the ring off. I don't care what story you write for it. You can have me marry Mark freaking Sloan for all I care, but I'm not taking it off."

"You're being stubborn."

"Shouldn't have made me a redhead."

0ooo0

She studies the ring as she curls up in Alex's arms. "I think Shonda officially hates me," she announces.

"How'd you manage that?"

"I wouldn't take my ring off. Is that stupid? I know I should. I'm just being difficult, but at the same time…"

"At the same time what?"

She turns to face him. Her cheeks are tinged with pink as she listens to the words coming out of her mouth. (Addison is very aware of the corniness of her statement.) "At the same time, I don't want to take it off. Ever."

He grins. "Glad to hear it."

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**I have been in the sappiest mood lately! Anyways, I would seriously love some love on this story (hint, hint)**

**-Juli-**


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